Aircraft

Wisk Aero reveals 6th-gen autonomous four-seat eVTOL air taxi

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The four-seat Generation 6 eVTOL air taxi from Wisk is the design the company intends to take to market
Wisk Aero
The four-seat Generation 6 eVTOL air taxi from Wisk is the design the company intends to take to market
Wisk Aero
Though the 6th-gen electric aircraft will fly autonomously, remote human supervisors will monitor operations and be ready to take over if needed
Wisk Aero
The sixth-generation aircraft is reported to be the first autonomous, passenger-carrying eVTOL air taxi candidate for FAA type certification
Wisk Aero
A spacious interior with seating for four and individual information displays, plus onboard Wi-Fi and gadget charging while you fly
Wisk Aero
The 6th-gen autonomous eVTOL has a cruising speed of 120 knots, and a per-charge range of 90 miles
Wisk Aero
The aircraft sports six 5-blade props to the front of the raised wing that transition from vertical liftoff orientation to horizontal cruise mode, plus six more 4-blade lift props to the rear that lock in place during forward flight
Wisk Aero
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Air mobility startup Wisk Aero has bumped up the passenger-carrying capacity of its upcoming air taxi from two to four, and none of those will be a pilot. The company intends to take its 6th-gen autonomous electric city hopper to market, and will now be seeking FAA type certification.

Wisk Aero can almost be considered a veteran in the emerging air taxi space, starting up in 2010 and then merging with Larry Page's Kitty Hawk Corporation (which recently decided to close down operations) before spinning out thanks to investment from Boeing.

Currently flying towards certification in New Zealand and beyond, having clocked up more than 1,600 test flights, the company sits at sixth position on the SMG's Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index – which tracks "the likelihood of an OEM certifying their aircraft, entering service and producing it in thousands of units per year" – just above Archer but behind the likes of Lilium, Volocopter, Joby and others.

Though the 6th-gen electric aircraft will fly autonomously, remote human supervisors will monitor operations and be ready to take over if needed
Wisk Aero

The sixth generation design is reported to be the aircraft that Wisk intends to enter the market with, and also the first autonomous, passenger-carrying eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi to be put forward for FAA type certification – with Wisk adding that it's been designed to exceed aviation safety standards.

As the headline states, this is a four-seat passenger eVTOL and it's been designed to fly autonomously courtesy of the combined efforts of proven technologies, "logic-driven, procedural-based, decision-making software," a suite of onboard sensors and obstacle avoidance chops – though will operate under the watchful eyes of remote human multi-vehicle supervisors, who will be ready to take control if needed.

It features a 12-prop configuration spread over the 50-ft (15-m) wingspan for liftoff, with the front row tilting for propulsion during horizontal flight. The transitioning front props are larger than before and feature five blades, while the four-bladed rear props power down and lock during cruise to reduce drag. The booms have been extended too, and the wings have been raised above the passenger cabin for improved safety and to lower in-cabin noise.

A spacious interior with seating for four and individual information displays, plus onboard Wi-Fi and gadget charging while you fly
Wisk Aero

The cabin interior rocks an automotive-inspired design which benefits from comfortable seating and generous baggage and carry on storage space. Each passenger is treated to an individual display that shows key information like course and trip progress, and onboard Wi-Fi is included as well as charging points for gadgets.

The aircraft has also been developed with accessibility in mind, and features tailored user interfaces for folks with hearing or vision difficulties, and entry/exit points catered to "individuals across the mobility spectrum."

The aircraft sports six 5-blade props to the front of the raised wing that transition from vertical liftoff orientation to horizontal cruise mode, plus six more 4-blade lift props to the rear that lock in place during forward flight
Wisk Aero

As for performance, cruising speed is said to be 120 knots (138 mph/222 km/h) at 2,500 to 4,000 ft (762 - 1,220 m) above ground level, and the eVTOL has a per-charge flying range of 90 miles (144 km), with reserves. Top-ups are expected to take just 15 minutes. And Wisk also says it's targeting a target price of US$3 per passenger, per mile.

The video below has more.

Source: Wisk Aero

View gallery - 6 images
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4 comments
Towerman
Big rotors...looks nice... will need lots of landing space however.
paul314
Just for reference, airlines hit an average of about 60-80 cents per passenger mile. On the other hand about $50 from manhattan to jfk...
TpPa
won't catch me flying in it until they balance their props. better, just look at the shake at around 55 seconds in the video, she's going to shake herself apart.
mark34
Don't worry about the individual information displays and fancy phone chargers..make sure there are enough barf bags available